Mayor of poor NJ city offers library rescue plan

[babylonsister]

Mayor of poor NJ city offers library rescue plan
By BETH DeFALCO, Associated Press


The mayor of one of the nation's poorest cities is working on a plan to keep the city's three libraries open and available to residents after the library board announced last week they would be closed due to budget cuts.

Camden Mayor Dana Redd said Monday that city officials will look to join the county library system and allow patrons to check out books from the library at Rutgers University's Camden campus.

The City Council must approve joining the county system, and there is no guarantee that in doing so the libraries will remain open. There is also no guarantee that the 21 city library employees will keep their jobs.

The library board said it would close the libraries by the end of the year because of a nearly 70 percent cut in library funding this year.

Officials at the American Library Association believe Camden's library system would have been first in the U.S. with multiple branches to close entirely.

more...

http://www.salon.com/wires/us/2010/08/09/D9HG5ROO0_us_camden_no_libraries/index.html

[rocktivity]

1. I can use my library card in both Irvington and Newark (NJ)

It's particularly handy when I find myself in downtown Newark.

I hope something can be worked out, especially for those who don't have Internet access.

:headbang:
rocktivity

[Lifelong Protester]

2. This is so sad. I'm just shaking my head.

Money for bombs, not for books? Does this country have its priorities screwed up or what? (I am drawing a line between the lack of funding from the Feds for states and municipalities).

[keith the dem]

3. The big problem with Camden in absentee landlords

The property taxes in Camden are way too low, at least compared to any other town close to Camden. Very few people own the homes they live in. The low property taxes do not stop the landlords from charging high rents that are at least as high as towns around camden with far higher property taxes. Many of the rents are subsidized. The net effect of this is a sucking away of any kind of wealth that Camden gets from its people or from the State, County and Federal Government.

Is it possible to have different levels of property taxes for out of town landlords, and live-in homeowners?